“No.” His worried face implies otherwise.

“No?”

“Maybe.”

Joy raises her eyebrows. “Maybe?”

“It’s heights more than flying. That thing is small. There’s no way to avoid looking out a window.”

“You could keep your eyes closed the entire time. You could also hold my hands. I’ve been told they have incredible comforting powers.”

Fox scoff-laughs as Summer runs from Malcolm and the pilot over to them. “Okay, so they don’t have a helicopter available that will fit all four of us, so we have to take two. Who do you want to ride with?” She’s asking Fox.

“I’m fine with Joy.”

“Are you sure?” She turns to Joy. “He’s afraid of flying. I was just thinking he might be more comfortable with me being there.”

“Oh. I had no idea. Hmm.” Joy can feel how bad her acting is but keeps going. “Malcolm went through all this trouble for you so you should probably stay with him. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Fox.”

Their helicopter is bright purple with two tan seats for passengers in the second row. It is small, nearing claustrophobic levels. Their seats are so close together their shoulders touch. The sound is surprisingly more bearable once they’re inside, and the pilot hands them each a headset and instructs them to put on their safety belts.

Joy holds out her hand. Fox takes it, then promptly squeezes his eyes shut. “Feeling better already.”

Takeoff feels more like being on a roller coaster than an airplane—anticipation builds low in Joy’s stomach as they begin to ascend into the sky. Except there’s (thankfully) no drop. They move forward, the helicopter balancing out and staying in the air.

Fox might be afraid to look down, but Joy isn’t. She takes in the view of the wide sparkling lake on the opposite side of their cabin as the pilot gives a guided tour, telling them facts and history about the area. Once upon a time, this area boomed during the California Gold Rush. The tops of the trees look like green bushes instead of a small forest, and even though they can’t see it there’s also a river that winds straight through. Farther in the distance she can see the freeway, neighborhoods full of blocky streets and houses, and large buildings jutting out of nowhere to create the downtown business area. The most breathtaking part of the trip is the horizon. A light blue sky slashed with wispy white clouds covers everything like a sheer blanket. There’s no end to it, no mark of delineation between the sky and everything else. It’s just simply there and perfect as they fly through it.

Thirty minutes later, they touch down on the winery property. Joy taps Fox’s shoulder. “We made it! We’re alive!”